Fashion designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana threatened to pull millions of pounds in advertising from publisher Condé Nast over a story Vanity Fair was planning to run on their tax fraud conviction, it was claimed today.

The Italian duo were reportedly so angry they allegedly rang Condé Nast artistic director and Vogue editor Anna Wintour to get her to kill the feature.

Advertising revenue from Dolce and Gabbana is thought to be worth an estimated $10 million to $20 million to Condé Nast's titles, which also include Allure, Details, Condé Nast Traveler and GQ.

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Sources claim she went with the aim of 'appeasing' the designers, adding: 'She went to save
the advertising.'

A spokesman for Vanity Fair said: 'We don’t comment on whether we are or are not working on a story.' Vogue declined to comment.

Claims: Dolce and Gabbana (pictured at a fashion show in 2007) reportedly threatened to pull millions of pounds in advertising from Conde Nast titles over the story

A spokesman for Dolce & Gabbana refused to comment.

Dolce and Gabbana have each been given 18-month suspended jail terms for tax evasion despite the prosecution arguing for the pair to be acquitted.

In May, Italy's appeals court upheld a verdict issued in June last year against the pair on charges of using Luxembourg holding company Gado to avoid paying taxes on royalties of about 1billion euros (£820million).

The pair had their sentences reduced from 20 months because of statute of limitations applied to certain facts in the case.

A fine of up to 10 million euros was also imposed over avoidance of the payments in Italy, where corporate taxes are among the highest in Europe.

Big business: The August edition of Vanity Fair (left). Advertising revenue from Dolce and Gabbana is thought to be worth an estimated $10 million to $20 million to Condé Nast's titles, which also includes Vogue (right)

The designers - who have always denied any wrongdoing - are appealing the decision.

The case stems from an investigation that began in 2008 when Italian tax authorities stepped up their fight against tax evasion as a global financial crisis began to bite.

Fashion companies have fallen under the scrutiny of Italy's tax authorities partly due to the fact the sector has performed well during the country's longest recession since World War Two.

Giorgio Armani paid 270 million euros to tax authorities in early April to settle a dispute over payments from the group's subsidiaries abroad.

Prada Holding, which controls Prada, paid a reported 400-420 million euros to settle taxes in Italy after completing a process of voluntary disclosure in December.